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[1-News-Head]

[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

It's municipal election day in Virginia, though that seems to have been lost on a lot of people.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
And a drop in car sales drives Roanoke to consider cuts in the city's budget.
(------------)

[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Tonight on News 7 Sports - some Dazzling ticket price reductions.
Big East softball in Salem is set for later this week -
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
and former UVa captain Rick Carlisle is the NBA's coach of the year.
(------------)

[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]

The irony of a drought is that not everyone is on dry ground. The forecast includes flood watches tonight. Details coming up.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon 4-Shot]

In communities throughout western virginia, residents are voting today.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

They're electing mayors, members of city and town councils, and in one case, members of the school board.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Meghan /Microwave;]

Meghan Muldoon has been at the polls all day.
She joins us now from the Williamson Road 5th Precinct in the city of Roanoke.
[LIVE= Meghan /FULL Microwave]
[SUPER=@Meghan1;]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke]

Keith and Shannon, election officials in Roanoke are reporting that turnout so far is light.
But they're still expecting a slighter better turnout this year than for previous city council elections.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:46:45]
[IN Q=Candidates for Roanoke City]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Beryl Brooks/Roanoke City Registrar; :40]
[RUNS=:48]
[OUT Q=than what we're seeing.]
(-------------)
[LIVE= Meghan /FULL Microwave]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke;]

City council elections don't generally draw as many voters as national or statewide ones.
At 3:00 today, 11 percent of Roanoke's registered voters cast their ballots, which was higher than the election four years ago.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith-Shannon & Meghan /Microwave;]

Keith and Shannon, election officials are hoping the trend continues until the polls close in an hour.

[L'burg-Turnout]

About one in ten Lynchburg voters have cast their ballot so far today.. far below the turnout for the last at-large city council election.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

It's been fairly quiet at the polls in most of the city's 17 precincts, with residents trickling in during most of the day.
Four people are seeking three at-large council seats, including Joan Foster who hopes to become the city's first woman on council in eight years.
The independent challenger says that distinction could help push her over the top.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 12:24:15]
[IN Q=I've had a]
((JOAN FOSTER/LYNCHBURG CITY COUNCIL: I'VE HAD A LOT OF POSITIVE SUPPORT FROM WOMEN IN LYNCHBURG, AND THEY FEEL THAT IT'S TIME FOR A WOMAN TO BE REPRESENTED ON LYNCHBURG CITY COUNCIL. AND I DO FEEL THAT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE.))
[SUPER=01-Joan Foster/Lynchburg City Council Candidate;]
[RUNS=12]
[OUT Q=will make a difference.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

35 percent of the city's registered voters turned out for the last at-large election in 1998.
(------------)

[NRV-Turnout]

Meanwhile in parts of the New River Valley, officials say turnout is higher than in recent elections.
(------------)
[VO-NAT :18]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg;]
At Christiansburg's only polling center - over 17-hundred town residents cast their ballot.
The three mayoral candidates spent the day campaigning for last minute votes.
Incumbent Harold Linkous, Rocky Capozzi and Ann Hess are vying for the job.
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
At the polls in Blacksburg, workers say this year is different.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 47:26:30]
[IN Q=other years]
((BARBARA REDICAN/POLL WORKER; OTHER YEARS PEOPLE HAVEN'T EVEN BOTHERED TO VOTE AND ITS BEEN LETHARGIC YOU WOULDN'T EVEN KNOW IT'S AN ELECTION BUT TODAY IT'S BEEN STEADY IN TIMES YOU WOULDN'T EVEN EXPECT IN MID AFTERNOON THEY WERE ALMOST OUT THE DOOR.))
[SUPER=01-Barbara Redican/Poll Worker; ]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=OUT THE DOOR.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Officials say between 2-polling sites, over 18-residents voted so far.
The Blacksburg's mayor race is between three candidates:
Incumbent Roger Hedgepeth, Don (Lang-rare) Langrehr and Beau Correll.
(------------)

[Parkway-Body]

Federal authorities have an unidentified body and a mystery on their hands.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./Yesterday;]

They still can't identify a man whose body was found by some college students near the Blue Ridge Parkway on Sunday.
The medical examiner's office says that so far, it's been unable to determine WHO the man is, HOW he died or HOW LONG he was there.
The medical examiner says the body COULD have been there for days or weeks.
The U-S Attorney's office says it's NOT sure if a black dog found near the body at the Poages Mill overlook belonged to the man.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The man is described as white, middle-aged and about 6 feet tall with brown hair.

[Dooley]

An elderly Roanoke woman who died Friday was apparently beaten to death.
Police are still investigating the murder of Edna Edgar Dooley.
The medical examiner says that the 82-year-old died of blunt force injuries.
Friday morning, Roanoke Police responded to a domestic disorder at Dooley's home.
They say they found her daughter and son arguing and Dooley dead in the bathroom.
No arrests have been made.

[Strickland]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=02-23 TC08:25]
[GRAPHIC=None]
His mother had been singled out for recognition by the White House for keeping first- time drug offenders out of the judicial system.
So when Judge Dianne Strickland's teen- aged son was arrested for the fourth time... this time with more than three ounces of pot, Ryan Strickland's case made news.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
Today the 19-year old J-M-U student entered a plea agreement that requires him to serve 60 days in jail.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 23:03:15]
[IN Q=To some extent]
((TONY ANDERSON/STRICKLAND'S ATTORNEY; TO SOME EXTENT HE MAY HAVE BEEN TREATED MORE HARSHLY BECAUSE OF THE POSITION HE WAS IN THAN THE AVERAGE CITIZEN.))
[SUPER=01-Tony Anderson/Strickland's Attorney]
[RUNS=06]
[OUT Q=the average citizen.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
State sentencing guidelines called for probation, but the prosecution insisted on four years in the penitentiary- -suspended after 60 days, because of Strickland's juvenile record.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 23:05:37]
[IN Q=So here we thought]
((NEIL HORN/PROSECUTOR; SO HERE WE THOUGHT IT WAS MORE APPROPRIATE THAT MR. STRICKLAND HAVE TO SERVE JAIL TIME AS WELL AS THE SUSPENDED PENITENTIARY TIME ALONG WITH IT. Keith Humphry/News 7: It could be argued that he got a tougher sentence because his Mom's a judge. I WOULDN'T GO INTO THAT. IT DOESN'T MATTER THAT HIS MOM'S A JUDGE, HIS FATHER'S AN ATTORNEY, WE TREAT IT JUST LIKE ANYBODY ELSE.))
[SUPER=01-Neil Horn/Prosecutor]
[RUNS=25]
[OUT Q=like anybody else.]
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=None]
Strickland had to surrender his driver's license for six months and will be on supervised probation for three years.
[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
[SS=NONE]

You may have a beef with personal property taxes... but a decline in Roanoke's collections could result in a major budget crunch.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Estimates show the city will lose nearly two million dollars from taxes imposed on new cars and business investments.
[***NEWS 7 @ 6 MONITOR GRAPHIC***]
[TOSS ACROSS=Keith-Shannon & Jennifer /Pulpit;]

Jennifer Miele is here to tell us why the city couldn't have seen this coming.
Keith, Shannon, the exodus from Roanoke of two major businesses accounts for the first unanticipated loss of revenue.
[LIVE= Jennifer /FULL]
[SUPER=@jennifer1]

Transkrit -- a state-of-the-art lebel maker -- pulled the plug last February.
The property taxes those two companies paid the city equaled that of 150 homes in Raliegh Court.
[SOT]
((PHIL SPARKS/RVEDP: IF COMPANIES DON'T INVEST IN CAPITAL EQUIPMENT, THEN THAT COULD ACCOUNT FOR SOME OF THE LOSS OF REVENUE.))
[RUNS10]
Haley Toyota sold more cars last year than every before, providing thousands of dollars in personal property tax revenue to the city.
Roanoke says record car sales aren't likely to continue this year -- without the money, cuts need to be made.
[SOT]
((SHERMAN HOLLAND/Commissioner of the Revenue: PERSONAL PROPERTY GOES DOWN BECAUSE CARS DEPRECIATE. NEW PURCHASES BRING IT UP. THOSE SEEM TO BE DOWN THIS YEAR.))
[RUNS12]))
(-------------)
[LIVE= Jennifer /FULL]

The City's Director of Finance Jesse Hall said he spent his day today working on budget cut recommendations to present to council.
All of this is about a predicted loss of revenue.
[TOSS ACROSS=Keith-Shannon & Jennifer /Pulpit;]

We won't know for sure until all personal property taxes are collected at the end of the month.

[Bath-Schools]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6m]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Bath County circuit court judge has ruled the county supervisors ARE ALLOWED to run their own investigation into spending by the school board.
Judge Duncan Byrd issued two subpoenas, ordering the school board to turn over financial records for the past year.
An attorney for the supervisors said the board received calls from school employees saying their benefit premiums had not been paid by the school board since last May.
Meanwhile, a subpoena request to turn over spending records relevant to the construction of the Valley elementary school was rejected.
[Stocks]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

An early rally on Wall Street fizzled after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and signaled that it doesn't plan to hike rates any time soon.
[TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-x/28.51/9836.55/y/4.66/1573.82;]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Now he's pulling time for that.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It's not]
[SUPER=03-Lexington; :00]
[SUPER=01-David Sult/Uncertified Paramedic; :12]
[SUPER=01-Sherri McLoud/Lifesaving Crew Captain; :37]
[RUNS=1:30]
[OUT Q=going to be working out here.]
(( It's not like David Sult doesn't have experience as a paramedic. He served eight years as a U-S Navy Corpsman. He just can't get certified as a civilian because of his criminal record.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 6:37:50]
[IN Q=I consider myself]
((I CONSIDER MYSELF ONE OF THE BEST NON-CERTIFIED PARAMEDICS IN THE UNITED STATES))
[RUNS06]
[OUT Q=in the United States.]
Sult is now in the Rockbridge Regional jail, serving a two and a half year sentence for faking his credentials and for taking the blue and white T-shirts that amount to Rescue Squad uniforms.
The Crew Captain says Sult believes he has a God-given talent for lifesaving, but she says he really didn't know what he was doing.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 6:00:50]
[IN Q=There were some]
((THERE WERE SOME THINGS HE DID THAT MADE US QUESTION HIS CERTIFICATION.))
[RUNS04]
[OUT Q=question his certification.]
And that led authorities to investigate, charge, try and convict him of forgery and obtaining property by false pretenses.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 6:43]
[IN Q=they didn't bring ]
((THEY DIDN'T BRING UP THE OLD LADY IN GLASGOW WHO WAS IN FULL CARDIAC ARREST WHEN I GOT THERE. I BROUGHT HER BACK. THEY DIDN'T BRING UP THE BABY IN BUENA VISTA THAT O-D'D ON COUGH SYRUP. I GOT HIM BACK.))
[RUNS13]
[OUT Q=cough syrup. I got him back.]
Privately, at least, some medical professionals will tell you he IS that good.
With a series of felony bad check convictions, petty offenses, a history of using aliases and a pending charge of impersonating a paramedic in Louisiana, the 34-year old Baltimore native is unlikely to ever work in the field again.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 6:36:50]
[IN Q=Like I said]
((LIKE I SAID, THERE'S A HARD LINE BETWEEN QUALIFIED AND CERTIFIED.))
[RUNS:03]
[OUT Q=between qualified and certified.]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 6:02:30]
[IN Q=If you don't know]
((IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE WORKING OUT HERE.))
[RUNS03]
[OUT Q=going to be working out here.]))
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=None]
Sult says he still hopes to apply for a waiver, take the test and become certified.

[Dubose]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=02-16 TC28:22]
[GRAPHIC=None]
An update tonight on the Virginia Tech basketball player stricken with bacterial meningitis.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
Rayna Dubose (Do-bose) is listed in good condition at the U-V-A medical center after undergoing surgery.
According to a press release from Virginia Tech, the 18- year old underwent a quote "bilateral amputation of the upper and lower extremities."
(----------)
[anchor=Shannon]
[ss=None]
That means an amputation on both sides of the body.
At the family's request, no other information about the surgery is available at this time.
Dubose, who played as a center on the women's basketball team, has been hospitalized since she was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis in early April.

[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Coming up this evening on the Big 7, Salem readies itself for the Big East softball championships.
And a former UVa great is the NBA's coach of the year.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Plus, the Roanoke Dazzle is putting its money where its mouth is and significantly dropping ticket prices in hopes of avoiding more scenes like this one next season.
(------------)

[S-NBA]

We begin tonight with some UVa basketball notes.
First, former Cavalier captain Rick Carlisle has been named the NBA's coach of the year.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-NBA; :00]
The former University of Virginia standout guard, who earned his way into the coaching ranks as a long-time assistant easily won the award over Sacramento's Rick Adelman.
His Pistons won the Central division title this year with 50 wins - an 18 win improvement over last season.
Carlisle helped the Boston Celtics win the N-B-A title in 1986 and he co-captained the U-V-A final four team in 1984 during his playing days.
(------------)
[talent=mike]
[graphic=hold uva]
Also, Pete Gillen has now officially received the signed letter of intent from Junior College all-American Devin Smith. The six-five sharpshooter will enter UVa as a sophomore.

[S-Dazzle]

On the local hardwood the Roanoke Dazzle has severely cut its ticket prices for next season.
The hope is that by lowering the admission price and improving the product Roanoke will be a real player in the NBDL.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=WITH THESE...]
[SUPER=01-Joe Preseren/Dazzle Team President; :00]
[RUNS=:19]
[OUT Q=...ROANOKE VALLEY."]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Last Season; :00]
The Dazzle averaged just under 16 hundred fans a game in its inaugural season.
The number is low, but not all that bad considering the team did not have one Saturday night home date the second half of the season.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=bite]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=...A YEAR AGO."]
(------------)
[VO NAT CON'T]
One place the team has already won a title is in Community Service. More on that tomorrow night.
(------------)

[S-East]

Softball fans are in for a real treat this Thursday, Friday and Saturday when the Big East softball double elimination tournament championship invades the Moyer Sports complex in Salem.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem; 00]

Virginia Tech joins Notre Dame, Villanova, and Syracuse in the field. The Moyer Sports Complex crew was working hard on field preparations today for what should be some of the best softball atmosphere at the facility.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-John Shaner/Tournament Director; :00]
[RUNS=:26]
[OUT Q=.....championship play"]
(-----------------)
[VO-NAT]

The Hokies are 40 and 16 on the season and won six straight Big East games to reach the tourney. Tech is the fourth seed but a late season surge and the familiar tournament surroundings could give the Hokies an edge.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Scot Thomas/Virginia Tech Head Coach; :00]
[SUPER=01-Ashlee Dobbe/Virginia Tech Senior Pitcher; :22]
[RUNS=:28]
[OUT Q=....really changed"]
(--------------)
[ANCHOR=mike]
[GRAPHIC=tech]

Game one is Thursday at 11 AM between Villanova and Syracuse. Tech plays top seeded Notre Dame at 1:30.

[S-Lax]

Washington and Lee's men's lacrosse team battles Widener at four PM tomorrow at Wilson Field in the opening round of the NCAA Division III lacrosse tournament.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lexington; :00]